Germany: Economic sentiment edges up but remains downbeat in March
Latest reading: Economic sentiment rose to 89.4 in March from February’s 89.1. That said, the index remained entrenched below the long-term average of 100, pointing to a downbeat near-term outlook for the economy.
The headline reading reflected improved sentiment in the industrial and construction sectors as well as among consumers. Less positively, sentiment deteriorated in the retail sector, and confidence waned among services providers.
Relating to indicators that are not used to calculate the index, employment expectations deteriorated, while the economic uncertainty index fell in March.